WHO opens first clinical trial for Bundibugyo Ebola treatments in DRC

The WHO-sponsored trial opened enrollment in the DRC to evaluate two experimental drugs — Gilead Sciences remdesivir and MappBio's MBP134 — against Bundibugyo Ebola.facebook+1
The outbreak, declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, has infected over 1,400 people and killed more than 400 across three Congolese provinces.ecdc.europa+1
Separately, diagnostics alliance FIND told Reuters the race for a rapid antigen test has narrowed to five manufacturers, with field trials possible by mid-July.kfgo

The WHO-sponsored PARTNERS clinical trial opened enrollment on Wednesday for patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking the first effort to identify effective treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease amid an outbreak that has now killed more than 400 people across three Congolese provinces.kfgo+1

The trial will evaluate two experimental therapies — MBP134, a monoclonal antibody cocktail developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and Gilead Sciences' antiviral remdesivir — either alone or in combination. A fourth arm will receive only supportive care, the current standard of treatment. WHO estimates it will need roughly 1,000 participants to determine whether the drugs are safe and effective.cidrap.umn+2

A Disease Without a Cure

No approved vaccine or therapeutic exists for Bundibugyo virus disease, which distinguishes this outbreak from previous Ebola crises caused by the Zaire strain. The PARTNERS trial, coordinated by the DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, and the University of Oxford, was announced in late June by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The United States government and Gilead Sciences are donating all doses for the study.afro.who+3

As of Wednesday, the outbreak declared on May 15 has infected 1,406 people and killed 438 across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, according to DRC government data. Twenty confirmed cases and two deaths have been reported in Uganda, while one imported case was confirmed in France in late June.ecdc.europa+1

Race for Rapid Testing and Economic Fallout

Separately, the global alliance for diagnostics FIND told Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation on Wednesday that the race to develop a rapid antigen test for Bundibugyo virus has narrowed from 21 candidates to five manufacturers — two in West Africa, two in South Korea, and one in the United States. The first tests could reach the field in mid-July, though regulatory timelines remain uncertain. Currently, health workers must wait days for laboratory PCR results, hampering containment efforts.kfgo

The economic stakes are also mounting. The United Nations Development Programme warned in a report released Tuesday that the outbreak could cost African economies up to $3.6 billion and eliminate 328,000 jobs if it spreads to additional neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Rwanda, or Angola. The UNDP assessment projected the crisis could push nearly one million more people into poverty, with the DRC alone facing up to $1 billion in GDP losses.reuters+2

Sources (41)